Category Archives: main dish

kibbeh bil sanyeh aka flat kibbeh baked in the oven, others call it sandwich kibbeh where ground meat and pine nuts are pressed between two layers of very fine minced beef with bulgur. One of the most popular dishes in lebanon. I can rarely find someone who doesn’t love kibbeh. Everytime i want to invite friends over lunch, they request kibbeh bil sanyeh. What a delicious dish!

Some of non middle easterners only knows the football shape kibbeh, the most served in lebanese restaurants. Let me tell you it’s more than that; there is various ways to cook kibbeh and this flat kibbeh baked in a deep dish is another way. It can also be served raw with fresh mint leaves, olive oil and onion!

Today i am posting the flat one, baked in the oven.

15 inch dish serves 6 to 8 people, for that you need:

For the two layers kibbeh dough:

• 800g finely minced beef
• 4 cups bulgur
• 2 tbsp salt

For the stuffing:

• 400g ground beef
• 3 medium onions
• 80g pine seeds
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp sweet pepper

First you start by preparing the stuffing:

Bring the olive oil to heat,  add the onion and fry until tender and fragrant.

Add the ground beef and cook until brown then add the pine seeds, salt and pepper and keep cooking until well done. Turn off the heat and keep it aside to prepare the dough.

soak the bulgur in water to become soft (about 10 minutes), then drain and add to the fine minced beef with salt and work it with your hands until it becomes consistent like a dough.

Divide the dough in half. Grease the dish with vegetable oil, take one part and start spreading it evenly in the dish. When it’s all spread, the thickness is approx 8mm.

Bring the stuffing and spread it on the first layer.

Get the second part of the dough to cover the stuffing. Always wet your hands to even out the outer dough.

Now the fun part of it! Decorating the upper part. Use a knife to divide it in 4 equal parts, design each part differently. This is how mum makes it.

Preheat your oven to 220ºC.

Drizzle 1/2 cup of vegetable oil all over the kibbeh and put it in the oven for 35 minutes, until it’s golden brown.

When you cut a wedge of this kibbeh bil sanyeh you see its whole thickness is of maximum 2cm.

This is the traditional way to cut the kibbeh. Serving it as wedges like pieces of cake. But i like to cut it in square shape as well.

Kibbeh bil sanyeh can be served with a cabbage salad or minted yogurt with cucumber dip.

Enjoy!